Writing in "The Journal of the American Medical Association," scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health who looked at cases of more than 46,000 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study say men who drink regular coffee -- filtered, instant or espresso --have a lower risk of developing the disease.
Coffee has several metabolic effects that could reduce the risk of gallstone formation, but previous studies have produced conflicting results. The new study found that men who drank two to three cups of regular coffee per day had a 40 percent lower risk of developing gallstone disease than men who did not drink regular coffee; men who drank four or more cups of regular coffee per day had a 45 percent lower risk.
Higher intakes of caffeine were associated with a decreasing risk of gallstone disease, with the lowest risk found among men who drank four or more cups per day. "The inverse association between coffee intake and gallstone disease may be due specifically to the effect of caffeine," the authors write.
There was no significant association between the consumption of tea, decaffeinated coffee, or low-calorie caffeinated soft drinks. "Men drinking four or more cups of decaffeinated coffee per day consumed only 140 milligrams daily of caffeine from all sources (approximately equivalent to one cup of regular coffee), and tea usually contains less than half the caffeine of regular coffee," the study authors say.
